


First Year Of Magical Misadventures

by EternalSailorNeptune_53



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Gen, Using female pronouns for Chihiro until a certain chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-03-06 15:26:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3139328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalSailorNeptune_53/pseuds/EternalSailorNeptune_53
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pretty much about Ishimaru, Chihiro, and Mondo's first year at Hogwarts. Needless to say, it's one of unexpected turns and events. Part of a Hogwarts AU I came up with a while ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All Aboard The Hogwarts Express!

It was a warm morning in September, summer soon to reach its closing within a few weeks time. To be more specific, it was the first day of the month, which had a significant meaning for magical children between the ages of eleven and twelve years. At Platform 9¾, many luggage-bearing children were hurrying to board the infamous Hogwarts Express as they bid their parents mutual goodbyes with promises to keep in touch.

Among this vast crowd was a twelve-year old Pure-Blood by the name of Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and his elder twin brother, Daisuke. Both of them were currently saying goodbye to their parents. After that was done, the two of them took their individual luggage and boarded the train.

“So, Nii-Nii!” Ishimaru said, “Which House are you hoping to get sorted into?”

“I’m hopin’ for Gryffindor!” Daisuke told him with a boisterous grin, “I heard that’s the best House out of all of ‘em! What about you, Taka?”

“I suppose either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw will do! Gryffindor seems too over-the-top, and I’ve been hearing things about Slytherin being the ‘bad House’.”

“Well, if ya don’t get Slytherin, be lucky. That’s the House that Grandpa was in when he went to Hogwarts.”

“But Grandfather isn’t a monster! Isn’t he one of the most respected members of the Ministry Of Magic?”

“Yeah, but I overheard Mom and Dad saying that he’s starting to mess up and lose favor. I mean, it makes sense considering that he barely did anything to get that high.”

“That’s true, but--”

Before Ishimaru could finish his sentence, him and his white-haired brother heard the train whistle bellow loudly as the floor felt as though it was moving. Realizing they had to find seats quickly, Ishimaru and Daisuke began gathering their things and looking for train cabins that were free. However, no cabins were left for the two of them to sit together, so the brothers had no choice but to reluctantly find different cabins.

“I’ll see you at the Sorting Ceremony, Kiyotaka!” Daisuke promised as his shared cabin door was closed by someone.

Once Daisuke was no longer in sight, Ishimaru instinctively found the first cabin he laid eyes on and took no time going into it and shutting the door. Since he ran in with such gusto, Ishimaru found himself on top of his scattered luggage and panting from being a bit winded. But, this ended once he heard another kid speak, a frightened Snowy Owl flapping around in his cage next to him.

“Oi, ya mind taking your stuff offa me?” the kid asked rudely. “And look what ya did! Ya scared Chuck, asshole!” he complained, immediately trying to calm his owl down.

Looking up, Ishimaru saw that the kid had rather mean-looking lilac eyes, and the only part of his hair that wasn’t black were his bangs, which were a shade of auburn. Not at all scared by the kid’s attitude, Ishimaru still took a seat in front of him firmly after fixing his scattered luggage.

“My apologies,” he told him, “It’s just that the train was moving, and everywhere else was taken. As they say: ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’!”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. But the minute we get to Hogwarts, your ass is outta here, got it?”

“You watch your language, Mister! There’s no need for that kind of talk here! We are future Hogwarts students, and it’s up to us to live up to such an honor!”

“And I should care why?”

Huffing, Ishimaru folded his arms and looked away from the kid as he did the same. After sometime had passed, it was now in the middle of the afternoon as the train kept rolling along the tracks. To pass some more time, he searched through one of his trunks, pulling out some random things until he came across the book he was looking for. The delinquent kid across from him merely stared with a look until he spotted something that peaked his own interest.

“Hey, a-are those… Bertie Botts’ Every Flavor Jelly Beans?” he asked, this time without the rude tone.

“Hmm? Oh yes, they are. I don’t really like these beans all too much; some of the flavors are just terrible.”

“...You got any cotton candy beans left? They’re the pink ones.”

Sifting through the box, Ishimaru found a few cotton candy-flavored jelly beans and surrendered them to his cabin-mate. Much to his surprise, the lilac-eyed boy ate the beans almost immediately, and his eyes lit up at the sweet taste of them.

“Mmm!” he exclaimed before swallowing. “It’s been so long since I’ve had this flavor! Daiya always hides his boxes from me…”

“Who’s Daiya?”

“My big bro! He’s the fuckin’ coolest, man! Prolly one ‘a the strongest wizards out there! And to think he just graduated Hogwarts a few months ago…”

“Oh, so you have an older brother too! My brother Daisuke’s actually on the train right now; we couldn’t sit together because we stood around for too long.”

“Which is when you came barging into my cabin. Why didn’t ya sit with one of your friends?”

“I don’t… exactly have any real friends. I’d have usually sat with Daisuke, but I couldn’t. Besides, he’s always been the one better at making friends than me! I know, call me a ‘loser’ if you want, but I just have trouble keeping up a long conversation! They just stop listening after two minutes!”

“Well, I think we’ve been talking for a li’l more than two minutes if it makes ya feel any better.”

Now that his cabin mate had mentioned it, their conversation had been carrying on rather smoothly (even if it was rather mundane). The very thought of this made Ishimaru’s crimson orbs glimmer with hope.

“Does this mean… we’re friends?!” he beamed, smiling.

“Whoa, whoa!” the kid said, shaking his hands. “I don’t really think we’re ready to call each other ‘friends’. I’d say we’re more like… acquaintances.”

“Oh. Well, shouldn’t we at least introduce ourselves? I believe an introduction is long overdue.”

“Right. The name’s Mondo Oowada, future Hogwarts 1st-year!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Oowada-kun! I’m Kiyotaka Ishimaru, also a soon-to-be 1st-year!”

* * *

 Ishimaru and Mondo spent some more time on the train talking to each other about their unique interests, showing off their new wands recently received from Ollivanders, and even sharing and exchanging chocolate frog cards (though Ishimaru refused to surrender the Salazar Slytherin card that Daisuke was letting him borrow, no matter how much Mondo had begged). Soon enough, the two boys had officially become dear friends.

As the sun began setting in the sky outside of the window, a low growling sound was heard from Ishimaru’s stomach. Although Mondo smirked at Ishimaru’s embarrassment, he too turned away when his own stomach growled.

“I’ll go get us some snacks,” Mondo assured his friend, getting up from his seats. “Can ya watch Chuck for me, Kyoudai?”

“Anything for you, Kyoudai!” Ishimaru responded, now focusing his attention on Mondo’s Snowy Owl.

The moment Mondo had shut the cabin door behind him after leaving, he immediately crashed into another first-year. When they both fell to the ground, an irritated Mondo rubbed his head as he prepared to chew out the clumsy person.

“S-Sorry about that!” the light voice apologized timidly.

“You’re gonna be sorry when I’m through--” he began to say before looking at the other kid with wonder.

The other kid he collided with appeared to be a cute-looking girl. She had layered, neck-length hair the color of caramel, and nearly-flawless matching eyes of the same color. Mondo didn’t quite know why, but the sight of this girl made his heart race, his cheeks flush and turn bright red, and to top it all off, he couldn’t stop staring at her.

“Ahem! You okay, Miss?” Mondo coughed, trying to look normal.

“M-Miss? Oh! I mean-- yes, I’m okay,” she responded. “I’m really sorry for bumping into you; Some guys threw me out of my cabin, so now I’m trying to look for a new place to sit with my stuff.”

“Who were these guys?! That’s no way to treat a fuckin’ girl!”

“...Right. But, I’m sure they weren’t really happy with their old one, so it doesn’t really matter. I’ll just find a new cabin to sit in.”

“U-Uhh, hey! D-Do, do-- DO YOU WANNA SIT WITH ME?! I DON’T FUCKIN’ MIND!” Mondo shouted nervously, blush still evident in his cheeks.

The girl jumped in surprise at Mondo raising his voice. Although the question was loud enough for some of the other students to peek out of their cabins, Mondo’s fierce glare made them all go back inside. Blinking a few times, the girl he asked nodded her head in agreement.

“Is it really okay for me to sit with you?”

“A’course! I said I don’t mind! Hell, I’ll even help ya with your things.”

“Oh, thank you so much! M-My name’s Chihiro Fujisaki, what’s yours?”

“Mondo Oowada. Nice meetin’ ya, Fujisaki!”

Lifting up a few of Chihiro’s suitcases, Mondo opened the cabin door and went in with what he was carrying. Just as Ishimaru was about to ask where he got the extra bags, the red-eyed boy was surprised when Chihiro came into the cabin with the rest of her luggage.

“Oh, hello there, Miss,” Ishimaru greeted in an unsure tone. “Are you lost?”

“Dude, don’t be fuckin’ rude!” Mondo snapped, sitting down in his seat. “This is Chihiro Fujisaki. She got kicked out of her cabin, so now she’s sittin’ with us!”

“Oh. Well, the more the merrier, I suppose! Did you get the snacks, Kyoudai?”

“Ah, damn it! Sorry, Taka, I forgot.”

“It’s okay,” Chihiro told them, taking several snacks out as she sat next to Mondo, “I’ve got plenty to share!”

“Wow, thank you, Fujisaki-kun!” Ishimaru said, taking a snack Chihiro handed him.

“Do you want some, Oowada-kun?” Chihiro asked.

“N-No, I’m suddenly not all that hungry,” Mondo said, blush starting to come back to his face. “Aniki told me there’s some kind of feast they do to start off the year, so I’ll eat then.”

At first, Ishimaru didn’t seem to mind the new presence of Chihiro around. But as the train moved closer and closer to Hogwarts, he noticed that Mondo kept staring at Chihiro in a way that seemed rather loving. Whenever Chihiro looked back, he nervously avoided eye contact. The thing that started irking Ishimaru was the fact that Mondo was starting to talk less to him, and more to Chihiro. Each time Ishimaru would try to say something to Mondo, he’d either pretend to listen or just ignore him altogether.

“So, Fujisaki,” Mondo said, scratching his head nervously, “who brought you to the train?”

“Oh, I got on by myself,” Chihiro answered, a bit forlorn. “I’m Muggle-Born, so my dad couldn’t pass through the barrier.”

“You are? Then you must know some pretty cool things about the Muggle world! A’course, I’m a Half-Blood, so I know some things, but what’s it like comin’ from a non-magical family?”

“Umm, Kyoudai?” Ishimaru asked, trying to get his friend’s attention.

“Look, Taka, I’ll talk to ya later,” Mondo told him. “I just don’t want Fujisaki feelin' left out over here!”

“Right, because Fujisaki-kun’s _totally_ the one who feels left out right now…”

“You say somethin’, Kyoudai?”

“Nope, nothing at all. Continue your conversation.”

Staring out of the window, all the lonely Ishimaru could do was watch the passing trees and try his best to ignore Mondo and Chihiro’s conversation beside him. Never before had he made a friend so quickly, only to lose his attention to some strange girl. Shooting Chihiro an unnoticed glare of resentment, Ishimaru looked back before leaving himself alone to his thoughts.


	2. The Sorting Hat Ceremony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are most likely going to disagree with some of the Houses. I know I should've put Taka in the House you're probably thinking of, but it was different at the time I first made this AU. Besides, he also fits the criteria for that House in a way if you think about it. Plus, this is before the "Toranosuke Scandal" happened (it doesn't officially happen until Taka's 2nd year), so he's not in debt yet.

The rest of the train ride luckily didn’t last too long, and the Hogwarts Express finally reached its destination after nightfall. Once it stopped in Hogsmeade Station, the students aboard the train gathered their things and left the train in a crowd of matching black robes over gray uniforms. A huffy Ishimaru was rather surprised that Mondo and Chihiro walked off alongside him, but he still kept heading towards the boats.

“This is it, Kyoudai!” Mondo told Ishimaru, giving him a friendly slap on the back.

“You’d bet it is, Mondo!” Ishimaru responded happily.

“I-I can’t believe I’m actually going to a wizarding school!” Chihiro beamed. “It should hopefully be a lot better than my old Muggle one…”

Just as they approached the wooden boats with lanterns in them, Ishimaru yelped in surprise as Daisuke suddenly ran up to him and hugged him tightly for a few seconds.

“Kiyotaka!” he exclaimed, “I finally caught up with ya! Now we can ride in the same boat!”

“So, this must be your brother,” Mondo remarked, looking at the white-haired Ishimaru twin.

“Yup! M’name’s Daisuke Ishimaru!” Daisuke greeted, “And who’re you? ‘Cause if you’re here to mess with Taka, you're fuckin’ dead!”

“Nah, Kyoudai and I are great friends!” Mondo assured him, putting a brotherly arm around Ishimaru’s. “Turns out he ain’t so bad!”

“And same to you, Kyoudai!” Ishimaru agreed.

“...I’m serious,” Daisuke warned, giving Mondo a menacing glare close to his face. “One wrong move, and you’re gonna taste the tip of my wand. Got it?”

“You have my word, Daisuke!” Mondo nodded. “I gotta give ya props though; you’re a good big bro!”

“Y-You really mean that?” Daisuke wondered, flattered, “Wow, thanks!”

Mondo let Chihiro climb into the boat first, guiding her in with her stuff so she doesn’t fall into the water. Once the Ishimaru twins got in with their own luggage, they made the boat start sailing towards the large castle up ahead in the dark of night. Since the lanterns gave them sight, they were pretty amazed at the appearance of Hogwarts.

* * *

 Once inside, all of the first-years were instructed to head to the Great Hall in order for the Sorting Ceremony to begin. One by one, students were sorted into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff. After each sorting, there was a large round of applause from the majority of students and professors in the entire Great Hall.

“Slytherin!” the Sorting Hat declared at it was lifted off of the strawberry-blonde locks of a devious Half-Blood girl named Junko Enoshima.

As everyone clapped, young Junko took a seat at her new House table. Amongst the applause, Chihiro’s name was called up.

“W-Wish me luck!” Chihiro said to Mondo and Ishimaru.

“Good luck!” Mondo said without hesitation as a blush grew in his cheeks again.

“...Yes, go on ahead,” Ishimaru said flatly as Chihiro walked away.

The talking hat was lowered onto the Muggle-Born’s scalp as she nervously sat upon the stool. From what she heard, the Sorting Hat could hear every thought that came to her head.

“Hmm, while you do possess a yearning for strength, I see quite a bit of brainpower in you, young one,” the Sorting Hat said. “Exceedingly intelligent and even creative. Ah, there is but one place to put someone like you. Ravenclaw!”

The Great Hall applauded for Chihiro, who smiled out from ear to ear upon being placed in a House that wasn’t a bad one. As she walked towards the other Ravenclaws while a meek girl named Touko Fukawa was called up, Mondo was happily applauding as he stared at Chihiro with adoration. This didn’t go unnoticed by Ishimaru, who merely sighed and clapped at a more reluctant rate.

“You okay, Taka?” Daisuke asked, worried.

“Yes, Nii-Nii, I’m alright,” Ishimaru lied. “It’s nothing really.”

Eventually, a girl named Mukuro Ikusaba was sorted into Gryffindor. During the applause, Daisuke jumped in excitement as his name was called.

“Alright! I’m next!” he cheered, “Here I go, Kiyotaka!”

“He wouldn’t make a bad Gryffindor,” Ishimaru remarked to himself, smiling at his older brother wearing the Sorting Hat in a firm posture.

“Yes… there’s a House that best suits you, Daisuke. And that House is… Gryffindor!”

Daisuke paid no attention to the crowd applauding, for he was too busy rejoicing in getting the House he hoped for. Walking back to the seats, he gave his younger brother a grin before taking a seat at the Gryffindor Table for the first time. As if on cue, Ishimaru himself was called next.

“Good luck, Kyoudai!” Mondo encouraged, “Don’t get stupid-ass Slytherin!”

“I hope not to…” Ishimaru responded, a little worried.

Sitting down on the stool, the Sorting Hat was placed over Ishimaru. The Hat thought and thought; there were quite a few places to put the boy.

“Hmm, while you have the passion of a Gryffindor, and definitely the work ethic of a Hufflepuff, I just can’t quite decide where to put you…” the Hat pondered. “I could put you in Slytherin like Toranosuke before you, but you just don’t quite have those… qualities. Hmm? What’s this? It appears you also see the beauty of learning, wit, and do I sense a value in individuality as well? Very well then. You, sir, shall be in… Ravenclaw!”

Ishimaru was quite pleased for a split second, until he realized whom he’d be in the same House as: Chihiro. Among the applauding students, Chihiro was clapping and smiling for Ishimaru’s Sorting. However, the newly-Sorted Ravenclaw male didn’t appear to share her enthusiasm.

“Lucky you, Kyoudai!” Mondo remarked, “You get to be in the same House as Chihiro!”

 _“Oh, so now you’re on a first name basis with her?”_ Ishimaru thought, glaring at Mondo. “I guess so…”

“Aww, Kiyotaka’s not in the same House as me!” Daisuke complained from his table, “How am I gonna keep an eye on him now?!”

Soon enough, Mondo’s name was finally called up for him to be sorted into a House. When the Hat was put on, it didn’t have to think much about where Mondo belonged. Within a minute, it made its decision.

“Gryffindor!” the Hat announced.

With a round of applause beside him, Mondo took a seat near Daisuke at the Gryffindor Table. The seat was thankfully close to the table where Ishimaru and Chihiro were. While he was pretty stoked about being in Gryffindor (much like Daiya before him), he was also feeling rather disappointed as he stared at the Ravenclaw Table.

“Not that I really had a chance of getting into Ravenclaw to begin with,” Mondo sighed, “but it still kinda sucks that we’re gonna be separated.”

“Worry not, Kyoudai!” Ishimaru assured him, “I’m sure I can meet up with you during the school year! Heck, we might still have classes together!”

“Ishimaru-kun’s right! We’ll all be one big trio!” Chihiro added.

Mondo started to feel a little more hopeful at his friends’ statements, though Ishimaru openly rolled his eyes and groaned at Chihiro’s. Unbeknownst to him, Chihiro picked up his body language and was starting to get a bit worried.

Later on, the final first-year was sorted, prompting Headmaster Jin Kirigiri to begin his speech to kick off the year.

“Thank you all for a wonderful Ceremony!” he announced. “Though this year was quite a special one because I also got to see my lovely daughter’s own Sorting.”

From the Ravenclaw Table, a 12-year old Kyouko Kirigiri looked down at the floor in slight embarrassment. As her father continued his brief speech, he incepted the Start-of-Term Feast as part of tradition. With that, everyone began digging into the delicious food on the tables. While tasting a bit of steak-and-kidney pie, Chihiro couldn’t help but notice Ishimaru nonchalantly eating his own food without making eye contact.

“W-Well, I guess we’re Housemates, Ishimaru-kun!” Chihiro told him with a shy smile.

“I guess we are, Fujisaki-kun…” Ishimaru responded, still a bit cold towards Chihiro.

“Umm, let’s make this year a good one?”

“I suppose I could manage. Now come on, your food is going to waste.”

Sighing, Chihiro sadly picked at her pie and mashed potatoes. From the Gryffindor Table, Mondo ceased talking with a few of his new Housemates as he noticed Ishimaru and Chihiro. Turning around, he faced Chihiro.

“Oi, s’wrong, Chihiro?” Mondo asked, “Is everything alright?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, Oowada-kun,” Chihiro assured. “I’m fine.”

“What’s wrong with Kyoudai?”

“I don’t know. He’s been acting like this since the train ride.”

“Eh, maybe he’s just tired or somethin’? Don’t worry, he’ll prolly feel better later, ‘k?”

“I hope so…”

* * *

 After the Start-of-Term Feast concluded, the first-years were all being lead to their Common Rooms by the respective Prefects. Although Ishimaru and Chihiro were pretty upset about not getting to be roommates with Mondo (and vice-versa), the former of the two seemed rather intrigued by the instructing Ravenclaw Prefect.

“...And to enter the Common Room, you must answer the riddle correctly,” the Prefect explained. “Otherwise, you can’t get in until someone else answers right.” They noticed Ishimaru raising his hand. “You have a question?”

“Yes, how does one become a Prefect?” he wondered.

“Well, to become a Prefect, you have to set a good example before your fifth year at Hogwarts. And if Headmaster Kirigiri sees you as a model student, there’s a chance he’ll appoint you.”

These words struck inspiration within Ishimaru. He believed that if he were to become a Prefect, then he could keep order within the school. All he had to do was work and study hard to be an ideal student. But, his thoughts were put on hold as the Ravenclaw Prefect awakened the eagle-shaped bronze door knocker.

“What is broken every time it’s spoken?” the Eagle asked for the year’s riddle password.

“Silence,” the Prefect answered.

“Correct. You may proceed.”

With that, the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room had been uncovered. Before letting the students go in, the Prefect spoke one last time.

“One last warning. The password changes with each entry, so use your heads to think of a logical answer!” they told the students. "Good night!"

Since it was rather late following a long train ride to Hogwarts, most of the students began heading for the Dormitories to get a good night’s sleep. Ishimaru noticed Chihiro looking at both entrances to the boys’ and girls’ dorms, and saw that she was rather hesitant and unsure for some reason. When she saw him looking, Chihiro jumped and quickly headed towards the girls’ dormitory.

“G-Good night, Ishimaru-kun,” Chihiro told him with a meek smile.

“...Yes, good night, Fujisaki-kun,” Ishimaru sighed, still not on very good terms with the Muggle-born student.

Before Chihiro could say anything else, Ishimaru went into the Ravenclaw Boys’ Dormitory with the other male students. He chose a bed and laid his luggage around and under the bed. Once he was changed into his pajamas and completely ready to sleep, he crawled underneath the navy blue silk covers and fell asleep with the other students, awaiting his official first day when he awoke.


	3. First Potions Class

The next morning at 8:00, Ishimaru woke up first out of everyone in the Dormitory. After doing a few morning stretches for about five or so minutes, he headed into the nearby bathroom to wash himself. Soon, he came out fully dressed in a uniform that consisted of a white dress shirt, gray V-neck jumper, black pants inside of his black knee-high boots, and a black Ravenclaw robe, the House signified by the patch on the left side of his chest. In addition, he donned a blue-and-bronze striped tie that was tied around his dress shirt.

“Alright! It’s time for my first day at Hogwarts!” Ishimaru declared boldly.

“Ugh, go back to bed!” one of the weary students groaned irritably, “Classes don’t start for another hour!”

Although Ishimaru was aware of this from his schedule, he still chose to prepare for what lied ahead of him that day. He did this by gathering up his quills, ink, parchment, and the necessary books for his first class. Making sure the ink bottle was capped, he placed everything inside of his bag and awaited the hour in which they would be put to good use.

* * *

 Exactly 45 minutes had passed, and the rest of the Ravenclaw House began leaving to get to their first class of the school year. When Ishimaru had left, he noticed Mondo and Daisuke approaching the Dormitories. Not seeing Chihiro in sight, the Pure-Blood quickly went over to his best (and so far, only) friend.

“Good morning, Kyoudai! Good morning, Daisuke!” Ishimaru greeted.

“Mornin’, Taka,” Mondo yawned, still pretty groggy from having to wake up so early. “What’s your first class?”

“I’m due to start heading for Potions class at around nine o’clock,” Ishimaru answered. “Where are you and Daisuke going?”

“Me and Oowada-senpai are goin’ to Herbology!” Daisuke answered, sounding like he was looking forward to the event. “Hey, maybe you could brew him a Wideye Potion?” he added, noticing Mondo fighting his fatigue.

“He does look like he needs it. ...Wait a minute, since when did you start calling Kyoudai ‘senpai’?”

“Since we became Housemates! You were right, Kiyotaka! Oowada-senpai’s the coolest!”

“Hrgh.... huh?” Mondo wondered, snapping awake. “Yeah, whatever… the hell ya just said. Say, Kyoudai, is Chihiro awake yet?”

“No, I don’t believe so,” Ishimaru answered with a hint of resentment in his voice. “I’m sure she’ll catch up. And if she doesn’t, then she doesn’t, I suppose.”

“Bro, what the hell? Why would you say somethin’ like that?” Mondo questioned.

“What? I’m merely saying that… things happen. Granted, tardiness is unacceptable, but it’s Fujisaki-kun’s duty to be punctual on her first day! Look, I’d rather not talk about this; have a nice day, you two!”

“Same to you, Kiyotaka!” Daisuke responded before becoming more serious. “And if some asshole messes with ya, you’d better let me know, ‘k?”

“Nii-Nii, I’ll be fine. I promise you won’t have to risk hurting yourself trying to protect me again, okay?”

“Okay... I trust ya. Oowada-senpai, come on! We don’t wanna be late, now do we?”

After Daisuke left with a slightly reluctant Mondo, Ishimaru started heading towards Potions. As he was walking, he heard something from behind him. Turning around, he saw a frantic Chihiro trying to slip on her second dark gray knee-sock and black Mary Jane shoe. Once she did, she caught up to Ishimaru with her stuff.

“G-Good morning, Ishimaru-kun!” Chihiro greeted, panting a little as she caught up. “Are you ready for our first Potions class?”

“Yes, Fujisaki-kun, I am,” Ishimaru answered flatly, not bothering to look at Chihiro.

“Okay… are you feeling better today, Ishimaru-kun?”

“I was never sick. So, I can’t exactly give you a straight answer. Now come on, you’re going to make us late for class.”

“S-Sorry…”

Soon enough, Ishimaru and Chihiro arrived at their first Potions class without being tardy. Although Ishimaru tried to find a seat that didn’t require him sitting next to Chihiro, one look at the girl’s disappointment and sad eyes made him change his mind. Despite this, he refused to talk to the person whom his dear friend was practically ignoring him for. Once the professor was done talking about the basics, the students were instructed to try and make a Cure For Boils potion.

While Ishimaru was carefully heating the crushed snake fangs inside of his own pewter cauldron, Chihiro was trying to grind up her own in the pestle. But as she did this, one of her horned slugs began slithering away from its captor. By the time Chihiro tried reaching for it, the slug had completely slithered over the edge of the table.

“Uh-oh…” Chihiro said to herself before hesitantly turning to Ishimaru. “E-Excuse me, Ishimaru-kun?”

“What is it, Fujisaki-kun?” an annoyed Ishimaru asked, casting the potion-making spell on his cauldron using his hazel-wood wand.

“U-Umm, one of my slugs slithered off the table. M-May I please use one of yours?”

“Well, whose fault is that? You need to be more mindful of your ingredients. And no, I can’t lend you one; the teacher only gave me the needed four slugs.”

“I… I understand. Thanks anyway.”

Somber at Ishimaru’s obvious dislike of her, Chihiro decided to ask the professor for another slug, careful to take the other slimy three horned slugs with her. Seconds later, she came back to her table with a new fourth slug. As she began heating her own crushed snake fangs, she looked back at Ishimaru (who was still ignoring her) for a brief second and sighed while casting the potion-making spell on her pewter cauldron.

* * *

 After class, Ishimaru and Chihiro used their 15-minute break to meet up with Mondo. The three of them excitedly talked about their experiences with their first classes (Mondo actually sounded like he enjoyed Herbology quite a bit).

“So, what about you two?” Mondo asked, “How was Potions?”

“It went rather well, Kyoudai!” Ishimaru answered, “I brewed a successful Boils Cure on the first try!”

“And you, Chihiro?”

“My potion actually took a few tries until I got it right. I kept messing up some of the steps.”

“Ah, don’t sweat it! I’m sure ya did good!”

“Thank you, Oowada-kun. That means a lot,” Chihiro said, giving an innocent smile.

“Y-Yeah, you’re welcome…” Mondo said, trying to conceal another blush at the girl’s cute smile.

Sighing, Ishimaru looked at his schedule and began walking away from Mondo and Chihiro without any hint of a goodbye. Although Chihiro was quick to follow behind him, it only made the Pure-Blood’s cold jealous contempt grow stronger. Unbeknownst to him, Chihiro was growing more upset at the fact that she was constantly angering Ishimaru instead of befriending him like she had hoped to do.


	4. Reconciliation At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you guys say ANYTHING about you-know-goddamn-well-what, I'm just following canon in regards to Fujisaki. I don't care what you say, that's just what happened and I'm just playing along.

The next class Ishimaru had with Chihiro was Defense Against the Dark Arts, followed by Divination with the Gryffindor House. During the former class, he was sure to choose a seat away from Chihiro so he could concentrate more on the lesson and less on his fear of losing a friend to some girl. This time around, he paid no heed to Chihiro’s wistful disappointment.

“For your first lesson,” the professor instructed, taking out their wand, “you’re all going to learn the Wand-Lighting Charm.”

Everyone was told to move their wand in a certain pattern and say the word “Lumos” while they did so. Chihiro moved her hand in the correct loop-like movement and shakily repeated the incantation. Much to her pleasure, she managed to get the tip of her ash-wood wand to glow a bright white light along with some of the other students.

“Very good, Miss Fujisaki!” the professor encouraged, “You’re catching on rather quickly! Mr. Ishimaru, can you do the same?”

Ishimaru quickly moved his hand the same way Chihiro did, and his hazel-wood wand began glowing at the tip once he said “Lumos”. The professor then applauded him for a job well done and moved onto the other students.

“...G-Good job, Ishimaru-kun,” Chihiro spoke rather meekly.

“Thank you,” Ishimaru said before turning away from her again.

* * *

 Defense Against the Dark Arts soon ended, and the Ravenclaw House headed for the North Tower where their first Divination class of the year would occur. When Ishimaru entered through the circular trapdoor, he was pleased to spot Mondo and Daisuke sitting inside of the classroom (the former with his feet on the table, which actually irked Ishimaru on the inside). However, his pleasure went away when he saw Chihiro sitting at the table closest to Mondo. Upon seeing Ishimaru hesitantly sit at her table, Chihiro jumped in surprise before feeling rather guilty.

“Ah, there ya are, Kyoudai!” Mondo exclaimed, “The three of us finally have a class together! About time too; I was gettin’ bored as hell in Transfiguration.”

“Please take your feet off of the table, Kyoudai,” Ishimaru told him, “it’s bad etiquette to sit that way.”

As Mondo rolled his eyes and reluctantly took his feet away from the crystal ball on the table, Ishimaru looked over at Chihiro. She flinched upon seeing the other twelve-year old give her a rather chilly stare.

“L-Let’s try to make this class good?” Chihiro suggested, fighting back frightened tears welling in her eyes.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Ishimaru agreed with a bitter tone. “Though, I really don’t quite see how one can simply predict the future. It doesn’t seem very possible.”

“And yet being able to cast magic from an enchanted tree stick is?” Mondo suggested rather dryly.

“Yes, because that’s different! Any wizard or witch can cast a spell, but no one should have the ability to be able to tell what I’m going to do next Tuesday! It just doesn’t make sense!”

“Umm, m-maybe this class will change your mind?” Chihiro suggested.

“We’ll have to see, Fujisaki-kun,” Ishimaru retorted, opening his textbook as instructed.

* * *

 Contrary to Chihiro’s statement, Ishimaru wound up feeling rather skeptical about Divination class by the time the class had been dismissed. When the rest of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws exited the room, Ishimaru was gathering his things and about to follow suit. That is, until Chihiro had timidly stopped him briefly.

“I-Ishimaru-kun?” she squeaked, trying not to look scared.

“Please leave me alone, Fujisaki-kun,” Ishimaru told her coldly. “I don’t wish to speak to you right now.”

“B-But why? Ever since I sat with you and Oowada-kun on the train yesterday, you’ve been shutting me out and a-acting…”

“What? I’ve been acting what?”

“...You’ve been really mean to me, and all I want is to become friends with you! Can you please tell me why you’re so mad at me so I can understand what’s wrong?”

Although Chihiro’s question was innocent, the very words reawakened frustration and anger within Ishimaru. As his cheeks began burning with red irritation, Ishimaru finally let everything out that he had been feeling over the past 24 hours.

“How… how on Earth could you possibly understand?!” he snapped, frightening Chihiro. “You say you’re trying to be my friend, but the only thing you’ve succeeded in is stealing away my _only_ real one! All Mondo’s been doing is gawking and gushing over you, ever since yesterday on the train!”

“O-Oowada-kun? I’ve been stealing him away from you?”

“Yes, that’s all you’ve done! Kyoudai is the first true friend I’ve made, but that’s likely going to end soon because of you! You probably don’t know what it’s like to have trouble making friends, do you? Now, please do me a favor and just leave me alone! I don’t want anything to do with someone as selfish as you; not now, and not ever!”

Not only were frustrated tears seeping out of the panting Ishimaru’s eyes, but even more tears were falling from the quivering Chihiro’s caramel ones. Sniffling a few times, the Muggle-Born Ravenclaw let out a few choked sobs as her pained chest clenched with each one. The sight of this made Ishimaru calm down a bit as he looked at Chihiro, this time with surprise and guilt rather than hatred. But, he didn’t say anything as the girl tried to speak.

“I-If that’s how you really feel…” Chihiro sobbed with a few hiccups, “Th-Then I won’t bother you anymore! I’m really sorry for everything I’ve put you through…”

Before Ishimaru could say anything else, Chihiro ran out of the otherwise-empty classroom in tears, crying her very heart out as she left through the circular trap door. Ishimaru now started to feel remorse for what he said, and he too left the classroom. However, when he was completely out, he saw Mondo standing nearby; a look of anger and disbelief on his face.

“K-Kyoudai?” Ishimaru asked, “How long have you--”

Suddenly, he felt a harsh punch to the temple, obviously given to him by Mondo. Rubbing his head, he could see that the Gryffindor was even less happy with him than before.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Ishimaru?!” he yelled, furious. “How could you make Chihiro cry like that?”

“Wait, you mean you heard--”

“Yeah, I heard the whole damn thing! Every. last. word! I know you’re a Pure-Blood and all, but that doesn’t give you the right to be a fuckin’ asshole!”

“Excuse me?! I only yelled at Fujisaki-kun because all you would ever do is completely drool over her and act like I don’t even exist!”

“I don’t drool over Chihiro! I just… think she’s really pretty to look at,” Mondo insisted with an uneasy blush, “Hell, she even smells nice, like vanilla or something--”

“See! There you go again! You’ve been doing that since the train ride!”

“Alright, alright, I get your point. Taka, I didn’t mean to make ya feel left out and jealous like that, but ya still had no right to diss Chihiro like that! It’s not like she was gonna ‘take me away’ or anything. Even if I like her… in that way, you’re still my best bud! Couldn’t forget about ya if I tried!”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah, really! I’m not gonna replace ya just because I… possibly like Chihiro! But, that doesn’t mean I still ain’t pissed at ya for what you did. If I were you, I’d go say I was sorry _pronto_. You have until classes are over to truce with Chihiro, got it?”

Nodding, Ishimaru headed out of the North Tower in search of Chihiro. He looked in a bunch of places (such as the library, Great Hall, and some of the previous classes), but had no luck in finding her. With only one place left as an option, he hurried to the west side of Hogwarts and found his way into Ravenclaw Tower. Approaching the eagle knocker guarding the Common Room, he awoke it and prepared for the riddle.

“Three men of the original legend. One who died for power, the second for lost love, and the third who merely greeted death like an old friend. Corresponding with them are a dark wand carved from Elder wood, a stone shaped like diamond that reawakens when flipped three times over, and a mystical fabric that conceals. Who are they?”

A bead of sweat rolled down Ishimaru’s forehead as he tried to think of the answer. He remembered his mother reading a similar story to him and Daisuke when they were young children, but just who were they? At that moment, he collected the right names.

“Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell,” Ishimaru answered.

Waiting a few seconds, the Pure-Blooded twelve-year old was relieved to see the door opening, signifying that the answer was correct. Entering Ravenclaw Tower, he quickly found the entrance to the Dormitories and hesitated when he came across the Girls’ dorms. Putting an ear to the door, he could hear sobbing coming from the inside, likely coming from Chihiro.

“Well, I’m about to enter the girls’ bedrooms…” Ishimaru gulped, a bit embarrassed. “But, at least it’s for a moral cause!”

Slowly opening the door, he was utterly relieved when none of the girls were inside except for one. And that one was none other than Chihiro, who was curled up to her knees on the bed; sniffling and crying her eyes out.

“What’s wrong with me?” she choked, wiping more falling tears away from her weary eyes. “I came here to become stronger and more confident, b-but I just wound up messing up again! Wh-Why am I so weak?!”

Sighing, Ishimaru felt even guiltier about what he said to Chihiro earlier in the Divination classroom. Knocking on the door, he waited until the Muggle-born Ravenclaw uttered a small “Come in…” before entering. When Chihiro saw whom she had let it, she not only became embarrassed due to a boy being in the girls’ dormitories, but also really upset and scared at rubbing proverbial salt into emotional wounds.

“P-Please go away, Ishimaru-kun,” Chihiro sniffled, not facing the Pure-Blood who yelled at her. “I don’t wanna make things worse than they already are…”

“Fujisaki-kun, I wish to talk,” Ishimaru said in his most gentle tone, uneasily taking a seat on the bed next to Chihiro.

“You… you do?” Chihiro asked, finally looking at Ishimaru, “B-But, earlier you said--”

“I am aware of what I said before, and I came to apologize because of it. I really didn’t have the intention of hurting your feelings, I was just jealous and upset about how much Mondo talks to you. I guess… I was also quite scared that I was going to lose my only friend, but I didn’t realize that I was destroying the possibility of making a new one. So… can you ever forgive me for acting so horribly?”

Still looking at Ishimaru with sad, Chihiro was still trying to make her breaths easier as she said nothing. Ishimaru took this as a sign that she didn’t forgive him, so he sighed and got up from the bed.

“I understand you’re still upset with me,” he said somberly. “I’ll leave you alone, then--”

Before he could leave, Chihiro gently grabbed onto his hand to stop him. When Ishimaru turned around, Chihiro had a warm smile on her tear-soaked face.

“I forgive you, Ishimaru-kun,” she told him, still smiling. “Like I said before, I understand what it’s like to not have very many friends and to be scared of something.”

“You do?” Ishimaru questioned, confused. “What happened at your old Muggle school?”

“W-Well, before I found out I was magic, I used to be bullied almost every day by my old classmates because I’m...  really frail and not very tough. And when I _did_ find out about my abilities, it only got worse. So, after I had to take ‘certain precautions’ to protect myself from all the mean kids, Dad had me taken out of school since none of my teachers bothered to do anything about it. Then when my Hogwarts letter came, we both couldn’t be happier since it meant a new life for me! After all, I don’t get to see those bullies anymore, and I’m gonna work hard to change myself!”

“Change yourself? I still don’t understand what you mean, Fujisaki-kun. What were the ‘precautions’ you had to take?”

Saying nothing, Chihiro stood up in front of Ishimaru. Before the latter could question anymore, he did nothing as Chihiro took his hand and bravely placed it on her lower region.

“This… makes me quite uncomfortable,” Ishimaru told her as his hand was being moved downwards. “Perhaps we should just call the truce already--”

Upon feeling something underneath Chihiro’s black uniform skirt, Ishimaru’s embarrassed blush only grew deeper as his eyes widened with utter shock and surprise. He nearly screamed when Chihiro stopped him.

“You’re… you’re a…!” Ishimaru gasped.

“Yes, Ishimaru-kun,” Chihiro sighed. “I’m actually a boy. Since everyone bullied me for not being very masculine, I thought wearing girls’ clothes would make things better. But since it didn’t, I’ve been wanting to make myself stronger so I wouldn’t have to wear these things anymore. B-But, you have to promise you won’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Your secret is safe with me, Fujisaki-kun!” Ishimaru promised firmly, placing an air ‘X’ over his heart.

“Good! I was actually considering asking you and Oowada-kun to help me improve my magic a little!”

Just as Ishimaru was about to walk out with Chihiro following behind, he suddenly realized something important about the other boy’s statement: Mondo. It was as clear as the eyebrows on his face about how Mondo felt about Chihiro (which is exactly what started this whole thing), so he wasn’t quite sure about how Mondo would feel if he found out Chihiro’s secret.

“Fujisaki-kun,” Ishimaru said, carefully sneaking out of the Dormitory unnoticed, “are you aware that Kyoudai… likes you?”

“Hmm? Oh of course I know!” Chihiro chirped, “Aren’t we both Oowada-kun’s two best friends?”

“Well, certainly, but that’s not quite what I meant. I said that Kyoudai likes you. You know what I mean, right?”

“Umm, no, not really.”

“Chihiro, he _likes_ you,” Ishimaru said firmly, making a heart shape with his hands.

“Oh… oh!” Chihiro squeaked, a pink blush coming to his cheeks. “So that’s what you mean by ‘liking’ someone.”

“Don’t worry! I’m sure Kyoudai won’t be upset about it when you tell him--”

“I’m not ready to tell Oowada-kun just yet. Maybe one day, but not now. I just… don’t know what he’d think.”

Realizing that lunch was likely over, Ishimaru started panicking over the fear of being late for the next class. Although he refused to run in the halls, he still found a way to get to the classroom on time with Chihiro.


	5. End Of The First Day, Beginning Of A New Friendship

Ishimaru and Chihiro arrived at their first Charms class shared with Hufflepuff. This time around, both boys sat next to each other without any hesitation from either of them. Their first lesson in the class required them casting a Fire-Making Spell on a simple candle. However, they also had to be careful to aim for the wick, lest the students cause unnecessary damage.

“I-Incendio!” Chihiro called out, shaking his wand tip at the wick.

The first time, the tip only made a dim spark. When cast the spell again, he managed to create a small burst of flame that ignited the candle’s wick. Even though Ishimaru executed the task before him in a quicker fashion, the Pure-Blood still applauded the Muggle-Born with a genuine smile for a job well done. However, the moment only lasted a few seconds when everyone gasped as a bright orange light flashed. Chihiro and Ishimaru turned around to see that a student had overdone the spell.

“Aguamenti!” the Charms professor exclaimed, conjuring a jet of water from their wand that extinguished the flames. “Mr. Yamada! I said only a small flame! What happened?”

“I don’t know!” the rotund Hufflepuff sputtered. “I merely cast the spell, but the flame came out bigger than I wanted it too!”

“Well, try to be more careful next time. You nearly burned down the entire classroom.”

“M-My bad…”

“Okay, class,” the professor began, no longer paying attention to Yamada’s blunder. “For your next lesson, you will all come up and collect one pineapple, which you will cast ‘Taratallegra’ on. Can anybody tell me what that charm will make the pineapple do?”

For a moment, no one seemed to raise their hand. Just as Ishimaru was about to raise his, a first-year Hufflepuff was selected for raising their own hand.

“Ah, Mr., umm… Naegi, was it?” the professor asked.

“Yes, professor,” the young-looking Hufflepuff confirmed. “Is the chair gonna start dancing?”

“Why, yes it is! ‘Taratallegra’ is also known as the ‘Dancing Feet Spell’. Five points for Hufflepuff!”

As the other Hufflepuffs smiled at earning House Points, Chihiro sat there rather confused for a second. Being Muggle-Born, he didn’t quite have a clue on why the Hufflepuff House was happy about a “point”. When everyone went to gather their pineapple for the lesson, Chihiro turned to someone who might know the answer.

“Ishimaru-kun, what’s a ‘point’?” Chihiro asked.

“I’ve been told that they’re short for ‘House Points’,” Ishimaru explained quietly. “One earns House Points for their respective House for good deeds or class participation. At the end of the year, the House with the most points wins what’s called the ‘House Cup’.”

“Oh, okay! Do you think Ravenclaw will win the House Cup?”

“It’s certainly possible, my friend. We just have to give it our all and do our best if we want to win!”

* * *

 After Charms class, the Ravenclaw House headed to the final class of the day in the form of History Of Magic with the Slytherin House. When Ishimaru and Chihiro walked into the classroom punctually, Chihiro was rather intimidated by some of the Slytherins and their nasty looks. This was enough to make the boy almost hide behind Ishimaru for protection.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Fujisaki-kun,” Ishimaru assured. “This is a school environment, so they can’t do much harm. Besides, most of them are first-years like us, so their magic is still probably in the rookie stage.”

“D-Do you really think so?” Chihiro asked.

Just then, the two were approached by a ginger-haired Slytherin with a few Muggle piercings on his ears. He was rather boisterous and was looking at Chihiro with a look that was apparently charming.

“Hey, how’d a cute girl like you get stuck with this nerd, hmm?” he asked. “The name’s Leon Kuwata. I may be a Half-Blood, but that doesn’t mean I’m some loser! So, what’s your name, cutie?”

“U-Umm, m-my name is Chihiro F-Fujisaki,” Chihiro introduced, still a bit frightened.

“And my name would be Kiyotaka Ishimaru,” Ishimaru said sternly, standing in between Chihiro and Leon. “Class is about to start, so sit down.”

“Alright, sheesh…” Leon scoffed, rolling his eyes as he took a seat next to a pink-haired Slytherin Half-Blood with shark-like teeth.

“Ya strike out again, Kuwata?” his friend asked slyly.

“Can it, Souda,” Leon retorted. “Fujisaki’s cute, but I’ve still got my eyes on that foxy Gryffindor bluenette from Herbology!”

“Oh, ya mean the one you kept poking with your wand during the lecture? After which she called you an annoying creep?”

Just as Leon was about to object, everyone turned to the front of the classroom as what appeared to be a faint white mist enter behind the desk. The white mist soon took the form of an old man, obviously a ghost, which made almost the entire class freak out.

“Alright, class,” the ghost said in a raspy and droll manner, ignoring the scared reactions. “Welcome to your first day of History Of Magic.”

“Th-The professor’s a ghost!” Chihiro yelped quietly, “Is that… is that possible?”

“I guess it is now!” Ishimaru replied with a whisper, just as surprised. “Regardless, let’s not let this get in the way of our first lesson!” he insisted, taking out his quill, parchment, and ink.

* * *

 During the final minutes of History Of Magic, the majority of the class was rather weary and bored, even to the point of falling asleep or snoring (the studious Ishimaru of course being an exception; the very thought of sleeping during a lesson didn’t sit well with him). When the incorporeal professor dismissed class, the sleeping students groggily opened their eyes and began packing their things to leave. Just as Ishimaru packed up his notes and supplies, he noticed Chihiro was still asleep and gently shook the smaller boy awake.

“Is class over?” Chihiro yawned, rubbing the proverbial sand from his eyes.

“Yes, and you fell asleep along with the others,” Ishimaru commented rather annoyed at the fact.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, Ishimaru-kun…”

“No no, apologies aren’t necessary. Just try to stay awake the next time we have this class, okay?”

Nodding, Chihiro left with Ishimaru to the corridors of Hogwarts. As they were exiting the classroom, the Muggle-Born Ravenclaw accidentally bumped into a blonde Slytherin first-year, causing him to drop his stuff. When he turned around, Chihiro and Ishimaru could see that he had quite a mean glare in his glasses-protected blue eyes.

“Watch where you’re stepping, you roach,” he sneered, picking up his stuff.

“S-Sorry about that,” Chihiro apologized as Ishimaru helped him up.

“Hmph, filthy commoners,” the blonde sneered, walking off in his own direction.

“Well, that was quite rude,” Ishimaru commented with a look of annoyance. “Let’s pay no attention to him and find Kyoudai, okay, Fujisaki-kun?”

“Okay! Classes are over, so we all have free time to do what we want!”

“Indeed. We can all hang out together as friends! ...Right?”

“Of course,” Chihiro confirmed with a smile. “Don’t worry about earlier; it’s not a big deal anymore.”

Relieved that Chihiro truly had forgiven him, Ishimaru continued strolling through the corridors with his newest friend. He knew that once they found Mondo, it would be the first time he could hang out with someone he called a ‘friend’ without any troubles.


	6. The Official Start Of A Beautiful Friendship

Climbing down several staircases, Ishimaru and Chihiro began searching for Mondo. However, he was surprisingly nowhere in sight. They looked in the area where the last Gryffindor class took place, but he wasn’t there.

“Where could he have gone?” Chihiro wondered.

“Perhaps we should ask a few of his Housemates,” Ishimaru suggested. “And I know just the person to ask.”

Walking through the corridors again, the two began their search for a certain Gryffindor. But while they walked, Ishimaru accidentally bumped into another first-year, causing them to drop their stuff as they both fell to the ground. As Ishimaru helped pick the items up, he saw that he accidentally collided with a Gryffindor female with jet black hair, steel-blue eyes, and a light dusting of brown freckles on her face.

“I’m very sorry, Miss!” Ishimaru insisted, returning her belongings to her.

“It’s fine, I wasn’t looking where I was going, anyway,” she responded. “Why are you two in such a hurry?”

“W-We’re trying to find someone,” Chihiro answered.

“You’re in Gryffindor, aren’t you?” Ishimaru asked, “Do you know anyone named ‘Mondo Oowada’?”

“Mondo Oowada?” the girl repeated. “Not exactly; all I know is that he got into a fight with a second year Hufflepuff during Charms class, and he wound up getting Detention on the first day.”

“Detention?!” Chihiro gasped, “That’s awful!”

“The nerve of Kyoudai to start trouble on Day 1…!” Ishimaru growled. “What the heck’s wrong with him?!”

“Yes, quite a pity. Good luck finding him,” the girl said.

“Thank you very much, Miss…”

“Ikusaba. Mukuro Ikusaba.”

When Mukuro walked off with her things, Ishimaru looked back with a smile. However, he quickly went back to focusing on finding Mondo with Chihiro. The clue given to them by the Gryffindor female was helpful, but it wasn’t enough to clear things up.

“Ishimaru-kun, where is Detention held here?” Chihiro asked.

“That I don’t know, my friend,” Ishimaru answered. “But if we find it, the best thing we can do is wait for Kyoudai to serve his punishment.”

Ishimaru and Chihiro decided to start heading towards the library for a friendly study session suggested by the former. But when they arrived near it, Ishimaru spotted Daisuke, who appeared quite worried for some reason.

“Ah, Daisuke!” Ishimaru called, going to his older twin. “We’ve been looking for you!”

“Kiyotaka? Fujisaki?” Daisuke questioned, turning to the other two first-years. “Well, since you’re here, I need your help! Oowada-senpai--”

“We know; he’s in Detention,” Chihiro interrupted.

“Yes, he is! And all because he was trying to get that stupid second-year to stop messing with ‘im! Is there any way he can leave early?”

“I doubt it, Nii-Nii,” Ishimaru sighed. “The best thing to do is to wait until he does his time. It’s only the first day, so I’m sure it can’t be too bad.”

“Then can you at least go see him? The Detention Chamber is somewhere in the Passage of the Fouls.”

“Hey, that’s where our History Of Magic class was!” Chihiro pointed out.

“And to think we just passed it…” Ishimaru sighed. “Thanks, Daisuke! I’ll see you later!”

With Chihiro following behind, Ishimaru took the long trek back towards the History Of Magic classroom. But rather than going into the classroom itself, both boys searched for the door to the Detention Chamber until they saw Mondo walk straight out of it with an annoyed look on his face.

“Stupid professor…” he grumbled, “I wouldn’t’ve had ta punch Hanamura if he wasn’t such a fuckin’ creep!”

“Oowada-kun!” Chihiro called, running over to Mondo with Ishimaru.

“Ch-Chihiro?! Kyoudai?” Mondo sputtered, face emanating another blush at Chihiro’s presence. “How’d you two find me?”

“We heard about your Detention, and we were going to wait until you served it,” Ishimaru explained. “I just can’t believe you managed to get in trouble on your first day!”

“Yeah yeah yeah…” Mondo scoffed. “Oh, did you finally call a truce with Chihiro, or are ya still bein’ a dick to her?”

“O-Oh, don’t worry!” Chihiro assured, “Ishimaru-kun and I made up! We’re friends now!”

“That’s right! As of earlier, Fujisaki-kun and I are comrades. I realized that it was unjust of me to be so rude to hi--, umm, her!”

“And now we’re really good friends! We let bygones be bygones, so everything’s okay now!”

“That’s good ta hear,” Mondo commented with a smile. “Because I don’t wanna have to keep shoutin’ at Kyoudai for being an idiot.”

“I am not an idiot!” Ishimaru objected with a pout. “Of course, this is rich coming from someone who just got detention for acting like one!”

“Oi, that Hanamura kid had it comin’! Tryin’ to put his stupid moves on me. What a goddamn asshole!”

“Watch your language, Kyoudai! We’re in a school environment, and no one wants to hear that!”

“Guys, guys!” Chihiro pleaded, “Don’t fight now! Our first day of classes just ended, so we should do something fun together!”

“Like what?” Mondo and Ishimaru asked.

“W-Well, I’m sure we’ll find something…”

Just then, Chihiro and Ishimaru’s stomachs began growling rather loudly. Both boys covered their abdomens in embarrassment as they looked at each other sheepishly.

“O-Oh, I forgot,” Chihiro said. “Ishimaru-kun and I missed lunch.”

“So, why don’t we go get somethin’ to eat together?” Mondo suggested. “Then after, we can hang out in Gryffindor Tower for a bit!”

“Is that allowed?” Ishimaru wondered.

“Of course! I’ll just say the password, and the Fat Lady’ll let us all in!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Chihiro cheered.

“And don’t worry, Chihiro,” Mondo assured, a blush permeating through his face, “I’ll make sure no one says anythin’ about a girl being in the Boys’ Dorms, ‘k?”

“What? O-Oh! Umm, right…” Chihiro’s stomach growled again, taking his mind off of the flawed statement. “W-Well, let’s go!”

With that, the three friends began heading towards the Great Hall as the inception of their newly-formed friendship. From that moment on, the trio would stick together and have each other’s backs no matter what lied ahead.


	7. A Whomping Brawl Of A Lifetime!

Almost two whole months had passed since the first day at Hogwarts, and it was now late-October. Not only that, but Halloween was only one night away. The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students had just begun walking out of their History Of Magic class, most of them weary and groggy from falling asleep during the droll lesson.

Yet again, the only one who didn’t leave the class in a sleepy manner was Ishimaru, who was currently shaking his head in disappointment at the weariness of Mondo and Chihiro. While the Muggle-born boy did feel a bit bad for dozing off during the class, the Half-blood couldn’t have cared less.

“Next time you two do that, I’m pouring a Wideye potion into your drinks when you’re not looking,” Ishimaru threatened.

“Hey, it ain’t my fault the teacher’s boring as shit,” Mondo remarked. “S’not like we even learn anything there, anyway.”

“Kyoudai, it’s the very origins of magic itself! How can that be boring to you?”

“W-Well, the professor does talk a little too slow…” Chihiro uttered. “He also seems to ramble about everything, and I don’t think he knows that everyone sleeps through his lesson.”

“Also, I’m pretty sure he called you ‘Shishiko’, Taka,” Mondo added.

“It doesn’t matter!” Ishimaru objected, “Even if the professor incorrectly says my name, I still can’t fall asleep in class like that and miss vital information! And I suggest you two do the same!”

“Right…” Mondo uttered sarcastically before changing the subject. “So, you two doin’ anythin’ tomorrow? Halloween’s tomorrow night!”

“W-Well, I typically just go trick-or-treating with my dad. But since I’m at Hogwarts, I don’t know what I’m gonna do this year.” Chihiro answered.

“...Trick-or-treating?” Ishimaru wondered, confused by the new term. “What’s that, Chihiro-kun?”

“How do you not know--” Chihiro was about to say until he remembered Ishimaru’s blood status. “Oh, right! I forgot you’re a Pure-blood, so you’re probably not used to Muggle customs.”

“Don’t worry, Chi!” Mondo assured the young Muggle-born, “I know exactly what trick-or-treatin’ is! That’s the thing where Muggles go around forcin’ people ta give ‘em candy, right?”

“Mostly,” Chihiro answered, “only we don’t _force_ people to give us candy. We just go from door-to-door and ask for it. Also, we dress up in costumes. Some dress up as scary monsters like vampires, werewolves, and wit--, I mean, mummies. Others just dress up as cute things.”

“That’s bizarre,” Ishimaru commented. “But, I respect your customs completely! Perhaps I’ll have to try this ‘tricking-treating’ sometime!”

“It’s trick- _or_ -treating, Taka…” Mondo sighed.

The three friends had no more classes to go to, so they instead chose to head off to the Great Hall.  However, they stopped in their tracks when the textbooks and miscellaneous school supplies fell from Chihiro’s clumsy arms. Mondo and Ishimaru were about to help their friend, but the Muggle-born simply told them he’d catch up and meet them at the Great Hall soon.

“Maybe I shouldn’t carry so much stuff,” Chihiro said to himself, fumbling with his books, quills, and parchment sheets.

“Pssst! Hey you!” was what the smaller Ravenclaw first-year heard. “Over here!”

“M-Me?” Chihiro wondered, looking around with worry as his belongings were secure inside of his bag.

“Yeah you! The Ravenclaw chick! Over here by the stairs! We’ve got a proposition for you!”

Chihiro meekly walked over to the side of the staircase, where a third-year Gryffindor and his Hufflepuff friend of the same year were waiting. They both had devious looks on their snickering faces, which frightened Chihiro even more. Gulping, the Muggle-born asked what the favor he needed to complete was.

“Isn’t it almost Halloween?” the Hufflepuff asked.

“Y-Yes… the feast is tomorrow night, i-isn’t it?” Chihiro answered.

“Okay, good. See, you obviously don’t know this since you’re a first-year and all,” the Gryffindor started, his words beginning to drip with venomous lies. “But, it’s Hogwarts tradition for a first or second-year student to do something the night before the feast as a pre-Halloween thrill.”

“G-Go on…”

“We gotta tell ya; it ain’t an easy task. There’s a tree on school grounds, and the lucky student has to go get at least one fallen leaf from it.”

“That’s a hard task?” Chihiro wondered, “W-Well, if I have to do it, then I don’t have to worry about much!”

“Nah, it’s easier said than done,” the Hufflepuff corrected. “It’s not just any tree, it’s a Whomping Willow tree!”

“A ‘Whomping’ Willow?” Chihiro asked. “Don’t you mean a ‘Weeping’ Willow tree?”

“Ah, you must be Muggle-born,” the Gryffindor pointed out with a laugh. “No, we mean a WHOMPING Willow tree. It thinks anyone who comes too close to it is a threat. It got its name because when you do get too close to it, you get the _whomping_ of a lifetime!”

The revelation of the tree’s nature struck fear in Chihiro’s heart, making him feel as though someone had cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx on him. He gulped back bile in his throat as the older Hogwarts students looked at him smugly.

“Oh? You scared, li’l mama?” the Hufflepuff wondered.

“It’s okay if you are,” the Gryffindor assured with a mean laugh, “a lot of underclassmen are too chicken to do it anyways. So, we really don’t hold it against you for being so _weak_!”

“I-I’m not weak!” Chihiro piped up, clenching his fists. “I’ll… I’ll do it. I-I’ll go get the Whomping Willow leaf.”

“Glad you see it our way!” the Hufflepuff said. “You’ve got until supper to get it, so you’d better get moving!”

“G-Got it! You can count on me!”

After the snickering upperclassmen scurried off, Chihiro gulped back more fearful bile to the back of his throat. The Muggle-born had never seen a Whomping Willow in his life, so he could only imagine the terror it would bring upon him if he were to go near it. However, Chihiro knew that if he chickened out, he’d never hear the end of being called “weak” again.

When he finally arrived at the Great Hall, he waved hello to his two friends and took a seat next to a welcoming Ishimaru, who was also managing his Charms homework using his hazel-wood wand cored with strands of unicorn tail hair.

“Wingardium Leviosa!” Ishimaru commanded, flicking his wand at the small rubber ball on the table. “Wingardium Leviosa!”

Much to the Pure-blood’s shattered hope, the ball only moved an inch or two off the Ravenclaw Table before bouncing back onto the surface. Ishimaru caught the ball in time, but sighed with disappointment before going in for another go. After one failed cast, Ishimaru turned to Chihiro when he heard the other boy whimper with worry.

“Is everything alright, Chihiro-kun?” Ishimaru asked.

“Y-Yes,” Chihiro answered. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now.”

“Like what?” Mondo asked, turning around from the Gryffindor Table. “Some fucker botherin’ ya?” he questioned with growing protective irritation.

“N-No, no one’s bothering me,” Chihiro answered. “I can’t tell you guys right now. Y-You’ll see sometime near supper, okay?”

When his still-worried friends nodded in agreement and returned to what they were doing, Chihiro got out a quill, ink bottle, and a sheet of parchment to begin his Potions homework. Even as he scribbled his answers down word for word, Chihiro could feel his anxiety drip onto the paper like the ink as dreaded future events swarmed through his mind instead of Potions class.

* * *

 Later on, the time turned to 5:00 in the evening. Chihiro knew he had one hour to complete the risky task, or else fail miserably. He walked out of the Ravenclaw Girls’ Dormitory unnoticed, looking around the Common Room for any sign of Ishimaru. When the coast was clear, Chihiro scurried out of the room altogether, ash-wood wand gripped firmly in his palm.

 _“Good, the coast is clear!”_ he thought, _“It’s now or never!”_

Exiting Ravenclaw Tower as quiet as a mouse, Chihiro wandered through the halls of Hogwarts until he made his way outside. He found his way to the main grounds of the castle and searched around under the dimming sky for a large tree. Over a sullen hill and through a path, Chihiro spotted a large deciduous tree that seemed almost mobile. When the tree shook a little more on its own, he knew it was the one he was looking for.

“It doesn’t look too scary for a Whomping Willow,” Chihiro uttered, creeping closer in a shy manner. “All I have to do is grab a leaf, and I’m in the clear! I just have to b-be… quick.”

Gulping and taking a deep breath, Chihiro looked back at Hogwarts Castle for nothing and bolted towards the Whomping Willow with fear. The fallen and dead leaves on the ground meant the finish line, and the Muggle-born twelve-year old Ravenclaw was determined to cross it.

Before Chihiro could even hope to get close to a leaf, the Whomping Willow sensed his presence and began shaking more violently. It took one hostile swing at Chihiro, sending the boy to the ground before he could touch a grounded leaf. When the boy got up again, his tree adversary went in for another strike, only failing from Chihiro evading it.

“I-I’ve gotta get that leaf!” Chihiro whimpered with pure terror, moving in for another attempt.

This time around, the Whomping Willow managed to swing its branches at Chihiro’s stomach, sending him flying across the ground. All Chihiro could do was lie on the ground in pain, tears and sobs escaping his injured body. Although he was still snivelling from his lingering body pain, Chihiro pushed himself up from the ground while clutching his stomach and limped in to grab his prize again. When the Willow prepared to strike its enemy in defense, Chihiro unsheathed his wand and raised it at the tree.

“I-Incendio--” he prepared to say while running, until he was struck downwards by the Whomping Willow’s branches.

Chihiro’s wand rolled out of sight from its master, while Chihiro himself lied on the ground in more pain. Breathing shallowly, the young Ravenclaw watched as the Whomping Willow raised its volatile branch at him, screaming in terror at his impending doom.

All of a sudden, another feeling came to Chihiro. Instead of the harsh strike that would surely finish him off, Chihiro felt himself being shoved away from the Whomping Willow’s branch followed by a familiar cry of pain as both figures were sent forward. Chihiro opened his eyes to see Ishimaru on his body, his face wincing with pain.

“Ishimaru-kun?!” Chihiro gasped, “What are you doing here?!”

“Saving your life!” Ishimaru panted, “Kyoudai and I just heard about your little dare, and we had to take action!”

“You’re both here? Where’s Oowada-kun?”

“Right here!” Mondo exclaimed, running up the hill wand-ready.

Like his friends before him, the young Half-blood was struck aside by the violent Whomping Willow tree. Mondo clutched a hand near his pained ribs, but got up nonetheless instead of conceding defeat. He coughed up drops of blood and wiped the drops away from his mouth like they were nothing.

“Taka, Chihiro!” Mondo cried out, “We gotta get ta that tree base! There’s a little knot that makes it shut up, and we’ll be able ta scram!”

“A knot? How do you know this?” Chihiro asked.

“Herbology’s a pretty sweet class! Now come on! Follow my lead!”

When Mondo was knocked aside by the Whomping Willow’s branches again, Ishimaru and Chihiro nodded at each other and took action as their friend got up once more. Both Ravenclaw students ran around the Whomping Willow and suppressed their injuries, doing their best to avoid getting hit again. As they did that, Mondo moved towards the distracted tree of fury’s base, locating the coveted knot. Just as he came close to pressing the tree knot, a stray branch grabbed the Gryffindor by the ankle and tossed him away from its base.

“GRAUGH!” Mondo exclaimed in pain, clutching his arm as more blood escaped his lungs. “Damn it, I’m not gonna get my ass killed by some overgrown weed!”

Ishimaru and Chihiro were grabbed by the Whomping Willow as well, meeting the same fate as Mondo when they got chucked through the air at the tree’s grip release. All three friends were wounded, bruised, sore, and nearly defeated, but not a one was ready to fall in defeat quite yet.

“W-We gotta k-keep going!” Chihiro coughed, wincing at his sore body. “I’m gonna get that leaf, o-or die trying!”

“Let’s not tempt fate, Chihiro-kun,” Ishimaru breathed. “We’ll have to try again, but I’ve got an idea on how to get that leaf! Mondo, you go and press that knot!”

“Alright, on three!” Mondo exclaimed, preparing himself. “One, two… three! Go!”

With simultaneous yells from the trio, Ishimaru and Chihiro ran around the Whomping Willow and dodged the branches desperately. While that happened, Mondo charged in for the knot at the base again. One single branch spotted Mondo and attempted to grab him like it had last time.

“Diffindo!” he exclaimed, a beam of light severing a part of the branch.

The tree retaliated its branches away from the students, as if wincing in pain from its severed branch limb. Mondo took advantage of the moment to press the knot, resulting in the Whomping Willow starting to freeze until all motion was ceased. A panting and weary Ishimaru pointed his wand at the scattered leaves below the base of the tree.

“Wingardium Leviosa!” he shouted, the wand’s enchantment making some of the leaves slowly rise upward. “Grab one, Chihiro-kun!”

Chihiro scrambled up from the ground and ripped a leaf from the air, reveling in the success of the risky dare. Ishimaru and Mondo grabbed one each of their own, running away from the scene with Chihiro lest they face another unwanted tree brawl.

* * *

 The three first-years returned to Hogwarts Castle, stumbling with exhaustion towards the Great Hall. Unfortunately for them, they were stopped by Headmaster Kirigiri, who looked at them with a sharp gaze in his lavender eyes.

“And just where are you three coming from?” he demanded to know.

“N-Nowhere…” Chihiro panted.

“Don’t lie, Fujisaki-kun,” Headmaster Kirigiri said. “You three were obviously out on school grounds when you weren’t supposed to!”

“We were dared,” Mondo insisted. “Two jackasses made Chi over here go get a Whomping Willow leaf, and we had to save ‘er from gettin’ killed!”

“It’s a true story, Headmaster!” Ishimaru confirmed, showing his own leaf at the same time his friends showed theirs.

“You… you three fought the Whomping Willow?” Headmaster Kirigiri wondered, looking at the leaves as if they were mythical. “That’s… quite impressive of you three; no student has ever accomplished such a feat. But! You three still violated school rules and endangered yourselves!”

“Like I said, we were dared!” Mondo cried. “Chihiro, tell ‘im who dared ya!”

Chihiro meekly revealed the names of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff who made him go get the leaf in the first place, Headmaster Kirigiri taking both names into consideration with a nod.

“I’m going to have a very strict word with both of them,” Headmaster Kirigiri growled. “As for you three, I have no choice but to deduct 10 points each from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor for your reckless actions.”

Chihiro, Ishimaru, and Mondo all groaned in disdain at the House Points lost because of them. But, the feeling was replaced with utter pain when their sustained injuries returned to make them suffer. Seeing three of his students wince in agony, Headmaster Kirigiri guided them all to the Hospital Wing. Once there, he allowed them to enter safely and left to attend to his duties.

“O-Oh my!” a voice from a Slytherin girl with choppy violet hair and timid violet-gray eyes squeaked. “Wh-What happened to you three?!”

“Whomping Willow,” Ishimaru coughed, climbing onto a medical bed. “You look rather young to be the school’s matron.”

“I-I’m n-not,” she corrected shyly. “M-My name’s Mikan Tsumiki, second-year Slytherin. I’m the m-matron’s assistant after classes are d-done.”

“Th’ fuck’s a Slytherin chick doin’ treatin’ wounds?” Mondo wondered, climbing onto his own bed before Chihiro did the same action. “Ain’t you guys the ones who usually cause the injuries?”

“Y-Yes, my House has that reputation,” Mikan sighed, examining Chihiro’s wounds first. “Sometimes I wonder wh-why I was sorted there to b-begin with. Especially considering my blood doesn’t belong anywhere near there according to my House-mates…”

“A Muggle-born Slytherin…?” Chihiro pondered until he let out a pain cry when Mikan touched the bruise above his ribs.

“I’m sorry!” Mikan yelped, “I d-didn’t mean to hurt you! I’m j-just trying to help make you better!”

“It’s okay, Tsumiki-san,” Chihiro insisted. “My ribs are just a little sore. I didn’t mean to frighten you!”

“Hmm, it looks like your ribs aren’t just ‘sore’,” Mikan pointed out, taking out her wand from its case and pointing it at Chihiro’s ribcage. “Hold still, p-please. B-Brackium Emendo!”

Like the magic it was, Chihiro’s rib fracture linked back in place with its split counterpart, the pain gradually subsiding. Mikan tapped the ribs gently and nodded when she felt no sign of anymore bone splits.

“Thank goodness,” she sighed. “I’d hate to have to give you guys some Skele-Gro. Now, let me see you two,” Mikan said, turning to Ishimaru and Mondo.

While she inspected and treated the fractures of the other two boys, Chihiro stared at the leaf in his tattered cloak pocket once more, feeling accomplished at his feat. He heard a “pssst” sound coming from his friends, turning around to see they also showed off their leaves.

“I couldn’t have done it without you guys,” Chihiro breathed weakly. “Thank you both!”

“Don’t mention it, Chi,” Mondo coughed. “There’s no way I’d leave ya hangin’!”

“I agree!” Ishimaru stated. “Granted, I’ll most likely be sore for days, but your life comes first! Besides, I finally got that spell to work, didn’t I?”

“You sure did…” Chihiro giggled before cringing with pain. “Though… let’s hope we’re not here for long.”

“At least the three of us are recovering together,” Ishimaru said, putting a hand on his side bruise.

“Yeah… totally fuckin’ worth it,” Mondo agreed, staring at the ceiling with weary lilac eyes.

As Mikan treated their wounds a little more, the three friends stood still on their beds and reminisced on the eventful night before Halloween that they’d experienced. They placed the leaves atop their Hospital Wing nightstands and drifted off to sleep, exhausted and pain-stricken from the Whomping Willow brawl they’d won beforehand.


End file.
